Saturday, December 24, 2005

TPI ::: Cutie Patooties Out Trippin

It's been quite a while since Tropang Puyat® went on a trip so we were just giddy little dweebs when we drove up to Tagaytay last Sunday. Nanay Mely wanted to visit the Our Lady of Manaoag Shrine to offer thanks.

Being Caviteños, we've long thought of Tagaytay as no more different than a regular trip to a neighbor's house. Nonetheless, we always have fun each time (provided that we didn't have the snoots with us) because we're a really tight bunch.

Nanay Mely, as always, provided the food. She brought Aling Nita and Aling Rosie (and their kids) along so they, too, can catch a whiff of that fresh high-altitude oxygen that their urban environs lack.


O TINGIN MUNA DITO.

I knew it was going to be chilly but strong gusts of wind made lunch an unexpected challenge. We had to hurry up with it before the bulalo got all covered in sebo. I'm pretty sure this is a common concern for Tagaytay al fresco diners so it's a good thing we're food people. Personally, I'm not that big on bulalo but anything to warm up, right?


BILIS, TEN SECONDS NA!

We decided to climb down the ridge for an unobstructed view of Taal. As the scenery became clearer, I began shouting orders at my "models" to take their places for my envisioned shot. They were slightly embarassed over it but I was too absorbed in my idea to give a dang. Here are a few of those poses:




ROSE, KABABALIK LANG FROM JAPAN KAYA SANAY SA LAMIG. HUUS!








METEOR GARDEN BA?










THE "BOY'S" BAND









INGAT SA JEBS






It was probably around 71° F or 22° C up there with a wind chill factor of 48.2° F or 9° C so it was very cold and we, being lowlanders, couldn't wait to get back in the car. We continued on to the Manaoag Shrine, or Krystala as Eloi calls the image. (Don't ask me how and why.) The last time we were there was the day after our house was spared from a terrible fire last April. Anyway, more photos:




ON THE SECOND LEVEL OF THE SHRINE IS A CORRIDOR WITH I DON'T KNOW WHAT, POSSIBLY RELIGIOUS PRAYER CARDS.








AT THE TOP DECK, DEVOTEES CAN TOUCH THE LADY'S HAND IN PRAYER, DEEMED MIRACULOUS. TROPANG PUYAT CLIMBED UP FOR THE VIEW.





I want to say "Happy Birthday" to our Dada today. He's turning 64 and we'll have a modest dinner party for him tonight. I suppose he will find out over the next twelve months whether or not he'll still be needed or fed, receive a valentine, or "birthday greetings, bottle of wine.."

Monday, December 19, 2005

U2 ::: Cover Up

Question for you lot: how many times has Mr. Bono been seen on the cover of TIME magazine? TATLO.

And as most U2 fans already know by now, the glow-in-the-dark Irishman currently shares the Person of the Year cover with Bill and Melinda Gates. *blink*


I read through the feature articles on all three and I realize that the Gateses do deserve credit for the time and energy they put into this global emergency situation. Think about it, they could've just put up museums for themselves and let their money do all the work. The fact that they chose to immerse theirselves, albeit via private jet, puts them over those charity-singing celebrities.

Of course, Bono needs no propping up. Just a raised glass. Well done, Mr. Hewson!

So that online poll that, until yesterday, had J.K. Rowling leading at 30+ % did not jibe with the actual selection process after all. That means there is still some good in the world.

Monday, December 12, 2005

WARHOL ::: Good morning, Times Square!

Pero hindi po talaga Narcisa ang pangalan ko. This is just one of the things the Internet let's you do which you never thought were possible. I wonder what those people who saw it thought. Then again, given how it was flashed for only four seconds and at such an ungodly hour, I doubt if any human noticed my Broadway debut.

Interested in seeing your face light up 43rd? Just click my link and follow the instructions. If chosen, you'll get an email saying they displayed your photo on the billboard. Who says only waifs get these gigs?

Sunday, December 11, 2005

RIGHT BRAIN ::: Blepharospasm

I woke up Saturday morning with slightly blurry vision with some contours double. A short while later, when I was up and about, I noticed my lower left eyelid faintly twitching. These types of things are on my ignore list so it hardly annoyed me that day. I figured it would go away after a shower--once my skin and muscles eased up.

Well, all of Sunday it was still a nuissance. I decided to look up twitching eyelid on the internet and here's what I found*:
Blepharospasm is the medical term for when your eyelid muscles repeatedly and rhythmically contract. In some instances, the eyelid may repeatedly close (or nearly close) and re-open.

In addition to having repetitive, uncontrollable twitching or spasms of your eyelid (usually the upper lid), you may be very sensitive to light or have blurry vision.
Although my eyes are far from shutting from these spasms, I did see some cloudy spots.
Eyelid twitching usually disappears without treatment. In the meantime, the following steps may help:

* Get more sleep.
* Drink less caffeine.
* Lubricate your eyes with eye drops.

If twitching is severe, small injections of Botulinum toxin can temporarily cure the spasms.
No, it's not severe. In fact, it seldom occurs at this point. However, I have to agree that I need more sleep. (Caffeine is not an issue because I don't drink coffee.) I've been averaging only about six hours since I went back to work. I also think my eyes aren't as used to prolonged staring at a computer monitor as they were when I was a slave. Oh well, tomorrow is Monday and I should make a mental note to give two hours allowance for the commute.

*from MedicinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

Thursday, December 08, 2005

U2 ::: Damn Straight!

The Grammy nominees have been announced and U2 ought to be feeling "high, higher than the sun" right now.
  • Album of the Year - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
  • Song of the Year - "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own"
  • Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal - "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own"
  • Best Rock Song - "City of Blinding Lights"
  • Best Rock Album - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
What a great way to cap off 2005. Let's hope and pray they sweep it again next February.

RIGHT BRAIN ::: In My Ears and In My Eyes



"I don't want to die at 40."
John Winston Lennon
9 October 1940 - 8 December 1980

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

U2 ::: Glow-in-the-dark Rockstar

Remember the early 90s when Clinton's early morning jogs would be popular late night monologue fare? "Eww, put them pasty whites away!!," Arsenio Hall would cringe. Well, here's "Bono en Acapulco" with a bunch of burly men to help him into the water, I think. Me thinks he needs to book return trips a few more times. You may view the rest of the paparazzi shots here.

The TIME Person of the Year poll is still online and Bono has just been surpassed by fans of Mother Nature. It's 13% for yer man against 19% for the tempestuous one. Think about it though, do we really need Mother Nature to get big-headed? Are we condoning her fits of wrath? Just asking the burning questions...

Well, it's almost Christmas again and although I am not as loaded with cash as I used to be around this time of year when I was a slave, I'm a heck of a lot happier with my job. Still, you can't help but miss the mindless spending.

Saturday, December 03, 2005

RIGHT BRAIN ::: Big Boys Bickering

"THAILAND again criticized the Philippines yesterday over its handling of the 23rd Southeast Asian Games and vowed to do a better job when it hosts the event in 2007." Full story

It's like in that final episode of Friends where Rachel is on a plane waiting for take off when Phoebe calls her on the cellphone and tells her "something is wrong with the left Philange." Rachel assures her nothing was wrong with the plane but the other passengers overhear her, panic, and scurry out anyway. In what began as a diplomatic faux pas committed by Minh (irreverent git heading the Vietnamese delegation), some figureheads of participating countries seem to have joined the mad soundbyte rush--as if Sideshow Minh needed an encore.

I don't know if Minh was ever caught by local news media since arriving but he pretty much stayed out of sight and let his gofers do damage control.

Now, you have Thaksin Shinawatra taking a swipe at the "host country" just because his athletes are competing below expectations. Really now, how'd he know for sure that there is widespread cheating? Takes one to know one, don't it? He says Manila should focus on promoting sportsmanship more...perhaps because he's uninitiated on the matter.